Editorial
The Culture of othering is an unhealthy trend
Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 06-Jan-2026
A German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller, was against the Communist ideology and also against Semitism. His distaste for them made him a natural ally and supporter of Rudolf Hitler. When Hitler ultimately assumed power and insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, a group of German clergymen decided to oppose the move, and Martin became their leader and led the movement from the front. The inevitable then happened to Martin Niemöller. He was eventually arrested for opposing Adolf Hitler’s decree and incarcerated in 1937. After serving a seven-year jail term, he was released in 1945, when he made his famous confession, which later became a much-publicised poem.
In the 1950s, the poetic confession of Pastor Martin was translated from German into English, first by a British government-sponsored organisation, the ‘Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’, and also by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It runs,
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
This confession was frank and candid; it was not only about humbling oneself but also thought-provoking, which brought about a sense of realisation about the futility of othering others and remaining in denial even when one knew that certain wrongs were being done to others. The confession of Martin inspired people universally, particularly as civilisations experienced regimes that needed united opposition.
India is a country respected for its ethos of Vashudhaiva Kutumbakam – the world is one family, with a commitment to diversity and respect for every religion and culture. The acceptance of pluralism is manifested through different ways of life, one of them being the way the festivals of different religions – Holi, Diwali, Dusshera, Durga Puja, Eid, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti, Baishakhi, etc. – are celebrated together by people irrespective of their religious affiliations. This spirit of sharing diversity sets India apart from others. Regardless of their religion, every individual receives equal treatment under the rule of law. When one commits a crime, the law of the land takes its course to determine whether the act is punishable under it. A statute mandates law enforcement agencies to investigate actions deemed criminal and prosecute offenders in the court of law.
In today’s India, however, it is the lumpen element that rules the roost. There is an increasing attempt to undermine shared values and ethos, which results in criminalising minority groups. Their worship programmes are interpreted as acts of mass conversion, while the participation of others in Christian festivals are often labelled as an attempt to convert others. Regrettably, these divisive forces dominate the actions of law enforcers, sometimes even dictating whether to register a First Information Report (FIR) and whether to arrest or imprison the accused. The rule of law has become meaningless as the whims and fancies of these pseudo patriots become overbearing.
In the run-up to Christmas last year, India witnessed unprecedented violence against Christians, where praying, decorating homes and churches, celebrating, and selling Christmas-related items by small-time businessmen were criminalised. However, the majority of Christians chose to remain silent, as these condemnable actions did not directly affect them. They did not belong to the Palakkad carol singers who were attacked, nor were they members of the St Mary’s School in Panigaon, in Nalbari district, whose Christmas crib was pulled down and burnt, spreading terror, nor were they affected by the incidents in Raipur, Bareilly, Ghaziabad, and Sri Ganganagar. They were not even bothered by Anju Bhargava heckling and cursing a visually impaired woman on the pretext of her trying to convert others, because the victim was no one connected to them.
This is when we remember that famous confession of Martin Niemoller, which in essence reminds us we too didn’t speak up because all of what happened did not affect us directly. The truth, however, is that this culture of othering and maintaining a deafening silence when many things go wrong around us is a dangerous trend. When it happens to us, no one will be speaking up for us.
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